Coe no longer coming to Piqua

BikeFest nixes controversial singer

PIQUA — Controversial country music singer David Allan Coe reportedly is no longer coming to perform at Piqua BikeFest, which will be held Sept. 15-16 in downtown Piqua.

“He will not be there,” Jim Loomis, Piqua BikeFest committee member, said. The Piqua BikeFest committee got in touch with their production company to find new entertainment to take Coe’s place on Saturday night, Sept. 16.

Loomis was not available for further comment Thursday.

Controversy surrounding the singer arose when Coe’s past songs came to light during the Piqua City Commission meeting Tuesday evening. Piqua resident Joe Hinds came forward during public comment to denounce Coe’s songs as “racist.” Hinds went on to say that Coe was “unrepentant” about the “vile, racist, homophobic, and misogynistic songs” of his past as he is still selling and profitting from them.

While Coe may no longer perform those songs in public, Hinds objected to Coe’s “Underground” CD and other CDs being sold on Coe’s website. Those CDs include such song titles as “Kajun KKK,” including multiple uses of the n-word in lyrics like, “Ship those n****** back,” along with several graphic sexual innuendos. Hinds objected to Piqua BikeFest supporting a performer who also profits from the message of those CDs.

During the meeting, Mayor Kazy Hinds, while stressing that this controversy is “nothing against BikeFest,” said, “For our community and for it to be a community event, everybody needs to feel welcome, and our African American citizens would not.”

Other performers currently scheduled to appear at Piqua BikeFest, according to advertising, include Hollow, an Alice in Chains tribute band; Latter; Ithika; Strategy; and ReFlektion featuring Piqua natives Jared and Justin Younce.